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Ron Capps Hits Career-High Speed at NHRA Great Lakes Nationals
Highlights
- Ron Capps set career-best speed of 339.37 mph at NHRA Great Lakes Nationals
- Capps defeated Chad Green in first round with 3.859-second run
- Tire issues ended Capps’ run in quarterfinals against Jack Beckman
- Capps dropped from second to fourth in Funny Car playoff standings
- Next NHRA playoffs race is September 25-27 at Rockingham Dragway
Ron Capps sets a career-best 339.37 mph at the inaugural NHRA Great Lakes Nationals, pushing through round one but exiting in the quarterfinals after tire issues at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.
The 3.859-second pass eliminates Chad Green and underscores the NAPA Auto Care team’s raw pace. The quarterfinal defeat drops Capps from second to fourth in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car standings.
Career-best 339.37 mph pairs with a 3.859-second run to topple Chad Green in round one.
Crew chief Dean “Guido” Antonelli adjusts decisively to an unfamiliar surface. Capps opens qualifying with a 3.947 at 331.13 mph, placing him provisionally fourth and building a competitive baseline.
He edges forward in session two with a 3.930 at 326.80 mph, then fights tire shake in session three. The team resets and delivers 3.899 at 336.07 mph on the final attempt.
Those improvements reflect rapid learning and a tightening window, detailed further in the NHRA Great Lakes qualifiers report.
Capps rebounds in final qualifying with a 3.899 at 336.07 mph, validating overnight adjustments.
Rain shifts Sunday eliminations to Monday, altering track temperature and grip evolution. When racing resumes, Capps converts the reset into a personal speed record against Green after the postponement.
The quarterfinal against Jack Beckman turns on early traction. Capps launches ahead but loses the tire, conceding lane control and momentum as Beckman advances.
Quarterfinal tire spin proves decisive, and Capps slips to fourth in the playoffs.
Capps praises the event’s atmosphere and robust crowd despite weather disruption. He highlights Antonelli’s adaptable approach, which keeps the car competitive under evolving conditions.
Strategically, the early exit costs points but yields valuable data on a new venue. The Countdown continues September 25–27 at Rockingham, another fresh stop, where execution window management will be critical.
Next up: Rockingham Dragway, September 25–27, as the Countdown intensifies.
The broader picture remains finely poised. Capps’ top speed signals underlying pace, and the field’s form suggests a tightly fought stretch across both new and familiar tracks.
Visual Summary
🚀🔥
Ron Capps blasts to 339.37 mph at NHRA Great Lakes Nationals
New personal record, rain delays, and a playoff twist at the inaugural event.
New personal record, rain delays, and a playoff twist at the inaugural event.
Qualifying Times
Q1
3.947s/331 mph
Q2
3.930s/327 mph
Q3
Tire shake
Q4
3.899s/336 mph
🌧️
Monday Eliminations
Capps 🏁
Chad Green
(3.859s / 339 mph)
Capps
Jack Beckman 🏁
(lost traction early)
Playoffs: 2nd → 4th in points
🙌🚦🧑🔧🎟️
Rain couldn’t stop the crowd
“The fans still poured in despite the delays—what an atmosphere!”
Next: Rockingham’s debut in the championship chase.
“The fans still poured in despite the delays—what an atmosphere!”
Next: Rockingham’s debut in the championship chase.
🏆
Capps’ record run launches the playoffs. More drama—and speed—coming up at Rockingham!
Nicholas Rivera delivers NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car news, including eliminator-round results and reaction-time stats. He brings track-side interviews, contender profiles, and championship-point breakdowns straight from drag-racing’s biggest national events.
